Do you use a travel agent to book WDW?

[Chicago526]

I'm a travel agent and I'm just wondering how many people book WDW themselves. Everyone here seems to be the "do it yourself" types but I thought I'd just run a quick poll and see!

Any experiances you've had with an agent, please share! I like to check out my competition

 

[blanq]

I have not used a TA to book WDW trips, however do use TA's to book other trips, such as cruises. I always book my own airfare, for any trip. I do think that you will find a lot of people on these boards find as much pleasure in planning the trip as they do in taking the trip. Me included! I am a wannabe WDW TA! If I am not planning my own trip, it sure would be fun to plan someone elses!

 

[castlegazer]

because of code watching and the level of involvement already necessitated by garnering your PSs and exploring your park touring options I feel I should do the bookings myself. I am also not a very good commission for travel agents either because of my budget traveling to WDW. I am always code watching for room rates, checking daily for lower airfare, watching every code posted anywhere for rental cars. I am loyal to a travel agent that I love and trust entirely but she does not have the time to watch my individual needs for these codes. When I book through a travel agent I get the rates posted that day for airfare, room, and rental as oposed to monitoring the situation daily for better deals and booking when they appear. I do think on any other vacation travel agents are able to obtain very enticing rates, but WDW is so tight about discounts to anyone I am more apt to be offered a better deal.

I am a budget traveler. If I were planning my honeymoon or a lavish vacation I could not do without a travel agent.

 

[Daisimae]

The option I need isn't on the poll. I'm neutral when it comes to using a TA. Pre-internet I just used TAs for airfare. Now I do that online and most hotel things too. I like doing my own as I feel I get the best value and control that way. I went to travel school and know how to do things myself and love doing it.

I am using Dreams Unlimited for our cruise next year because of the rebate they offer, the fact that they automatically check for specials and price decreases and the glowing reviews I've read here. We booked our last cruise direct with DCL and that was fine too.

 

[jdads2]

Never used a TA for a WDW trip. I get the same price or less as they do for air tickets...I check with them to make sure. Planning is also half the fun for me so I wouldn't hand it over to a TA.

 

[ead79]

I only use Dreams Unlimited as my travel agency. While I could certainly do it on my own, their service is so helpful that I really enjoy using them. I like the fact that I can control as much as I want to (like choosing where to eat, where to stay, etc.), but they will take care of the stuff that can be a bit of a pain (like making priority seating arrangements, checking for discounts, etc.). My experience with Dreams in the several trips I have taken using them has been nothing but positive. My agent Liz is super!

 

[dcentity2000]

"Well hi there everybody!"

Naah, when tazz and me went we just pasted everything together... go the flights cheap, the hotel even cheaper and so on... but I guess I'd have nothing to lose!

Rich ::

 

[DVC-Don]

We used a TA for our first three WDW trips. Ouch they were expensive! + flights with connections that did not have to be. Offsite car rentals that were a nighmare. Then I got internet savy and started booking our own trips for 1/3 to 1/2 what the TA was booking them for. It was a local TA who in hindsight was not a Disney expert. They went out of business about 5 years ago.

 

[Pooh67_68]

We use AAA, but have booked a trip ourselves once. We just prefer to let someone else handle it all, since my husband gets home from work late sometimes, and just doesn't want to botter with talking forever to someone who may or may not under stand English. Almost forgot my husband does books our flights himself.

 

[Qwackertoo]

This will be our fourth trip via Dreams Unlimited. Plan a couple more next year AND our first cruise and will use Dreams again! Only thing I do is our air travel and limo.

 

[Carl]

I didn't vote because none of the answers was exactly right for me. I USED to use Walt Disney Travel and was very happy with it, but now I'm a DVC owner and don't need an agent. I book the air with whatever airline I'm using for that trip.

 

[elemusing]

We have found that local TA's are incompent as far as "seasoned Disney travelers" go. We know more than they do!!!! But, I have booked through Dreams Unlimited here on the DIS and LOVE THEM! I won't do another Disney trip without them. Even though I have been several times, I always learn something new from them with every booking.

I have also done it myself and find that I save alot more money when booking through DU.

My advice to any travel agents would be to find out as much as you can about WDW and visit often so you will be informed!

I have used DU 4 times now. . . LOVE the fact that they make my PS's for me (save a ton on long distance being on hold) and I love the fact that they will keep an eye out for discounts after I book.

Angie

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I like the service. Although, I could book things myself I'm sure I would drive myself crazy. Always wondering if someone else got a better price. I priced out my trip with and without AAA once and the AAA price was the same, so why not?

 

[TreeOfLife]

The Internet has made it possible for travelers to book their own trips, with no need to use an agent.

The first time we traveled we used an agent. IT WAS A MESS! I had to stand in lines as if I was buying the tickets everywhere first hand, because all I got was vouchers. The plane ride was another aggravation, they only cared about seating us, regardless of how far we'd be from each other! The hotel was no hotel but a motel, supposed to save us money. Then the anger came when I realized how much I overpaid, in comparison to booking it all on my own, my way.

It left a sour aftertaste and distrust. But no matter how many "Oh, I understand, not all are the same... try *us*...blah blah blah" we hear, we learned to do it our way, on our own, on our computers, in our pajamas with no need to get out of the house and without shaving our legs

Although Disney structured the packages covering for those ridiculous hundreds and thousands of dollars that went unaccounted for in their prices before, I personally resent buying through an agent who will get some perks through me, rather than benefiting from rewards, etc., I could use in the future myself. A travel agent we know takes a free family vacation to WDW after selling so many packages. Have to admit it feels better for me to say that using rewards and promos *we* will be able to go back ourselves. Just for the feeling of working for ours, not anyone else's vacation.

 

[ruvidu]

You need another space in your poll for our situation.

We travel a good deal and use the least expensive means possible. For our upcoming trip to WL we found that DU saved us a little over $100 for what we could do ourselves. I booked the airfare myself.

 

[castlegazer]

You may have inadvertently produced a commercial for Dreams Unlimited - I am totally sold by everyone's comments here. They do what I was missing through other travel agents - code watch and reduce your bottom dollar. If my next trips are for more days than my upcoming trip, a pretty good bet, then I will use them. The planning is fun, but it is very time consuming for me and time is not something I have boodles of.

 

[beattyfamily]

Should have been an option of tried it once but realized how much I could save doing it myself. I didn't hate the experience just like doing it myself.

So I ended up choosing the tried it, hated it even though it's not really true.

 

[LadyAurora]

When we lived in IL we used a travel agent for everything. That was before I was brave enough to try booking my own flights, etc. We ended up paying a lot for everything, as I've learned here on the DIS what can be had for low prices (or lower).
Anyway, now I book my own hotel when we stay overnight at the World. I book flights for my husband when he travels back to IL. We can't afford not to get the lowest prices!

 

[Chicago526]

Sorry guys, thought I gave enough options on the poll. Guess not!

Thanks for your feedback, positive and negative towards TA's. Obviously I'm biased in favour of TA's because I like being employed!

There are some indifferant or even bad TA's out there, but we're not all that way! Disney is a more difficult destination than most because it is so big and there's so much going on! It's one of the reasons I'm on this board all the time, to try to get all the info possible to better serve my clients.

The internet has definatly changed the way people book travel. Some of you mentioned that you have found better deals on your own this way. This isn't due to TA's being lazy or greedy, it's just that a lot of deals are good ONLY online and aren't offered for travel agencies to book. This is slowly changing as my industry is fighting back against suppliers who do this, but it's going to be a long road!

If any of you want to try an agent in the future, ask the following:

Have you ever been to WDW, if so how many and how long ago was your last trip?
Are you willing to make PS's and/or other "little" arrangements durring our stay?
Are you willing to look for price drops AFTER a booking has been made?
Is your agency available after hours in case a traveler has a problem while traveling?

And a good agent should be asking you TONS of questions in return. If the agent isn't asking questions beyond "when do you want to go and how much you want to spend?" then they aren't working hard enough! This is true for any destination, not just Disney!

A good agent should also give you several options. For instance if you ask for the "rock bottom lowest price", the agent should come back with exactly that, but also give several options on how to acheive that. Or if better options are available for small increases in price, like if the lowest airline ticket is a connection, but a non-stop is only say $20 more per ticket, then that should be offered. Or if a deluxe property is running a special that is only a few $$$ more than a moderate. Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's a good deal! Both agents and travelers have a hard time remembering that sometimes!

Anyway, thanks again for the feed back!

 

[TreeOfLife]

Have you ever been to WDW, if so how many and how long ago was your last trip?

Yup, about 7 or 8 times, three years ago... Only on the first time I used a TA... Never again.

Are you willing to make PS's and/or other "little" arrangements durring our stay?

Ours for this trip were made months ago... All it takes is a little planning, a spreadsheet or calendar, ten minutes and a phone. Other than that I don't know what other "little" arrangements a TA could do for us that we can't by ourselves anyhow...

Are you willing to look for price drops AFTER a booking has been made?

Like dogma... Again, all it takes is ten minutes (if that) once you know where to look. A bookmark will do...

Is your agency available after hours in case a traveler has a problem while traveling?

Like what? I mean, there's AAA, the airlines pretty much dictate their standards in cases of emergencies, taxis run all the time. So, what could come up that only a TA could help with unexpectedly? There's 911, the airports don't close, neither do hotels...

TAs have a noble job like any other... But unfortunately it benefits only those who sell packages and pile up perks for personal travel. It is not sufficient to solely support a family, and unless TAs adapt they'll be driven into extinction.